Destination Wedding... Reception back home?

Jstrlv

My fiance and I are still figuring out details to our destination wedding... nothing is set in stone yet, but we are hoping for a fall of 2013 wedding in Jamaica.  We are trying to have a fun, beautiful, yet tasteful budget wedding (after all it IS only one day).  First we were thinking about having the wedding, then when we come back to just have a party at home for all family that could and couldn't make it out.  Now that I've been to a couple friends weddings, and had a great time at their receptions, I am wondering if this is something I want to have too.  Has anyone done the destination wedding AND an at home reception without paying an arm and a leg?  If so, is there a way to have the reception, DJ, dancing, but without a formal dinner?  Is it tasteful to just have cocktails and appetizers?  I can't find too many related blogs and posts about this.  I would appreciate any suggestions.

AdeleDazeem

We did.  We had a private destination wedding (12 people) and an at home reception about a month later.  The AHR was open bar with passed appetizers.  It ran from 8pm to 12am.  We had a really nice turnout.

Our destination wedding was much cheaper than the reception, but we had the AHR at a fancy restaurant.  There are definitely ways to do it on a much smaller budget.  Keep it simple.  It doesn't need to be over the top, include a cake, wedding attire, etc.  It can really just be a party.

Just a couple of thoughts: If you aren't planning for a private destination wedding (parents, siblings + spouses only) then you need to invite everyone to both the wedding and the AHR.  You can't add extra people to the AHR.  The guest is the same for both.  If you want a private wedding (again, parents and siblings + spuses only, less than 20 people), then your AHR list should be about 5 times more in number.  Also, what dictates the food offered at a party is the time of day.  If you only want appetizers as opposed to a meal. plan the party for either 2pm or 8pm.  If you want it to start at 6pm, you need to serve dinner.  We only did cake cutting at our AHR.

Good luck!

EDIT: Oh, you can see a lot of specifics about our wedding and AHR in my married bio.  Link in siggy.

GoodLuckBear14

A lot of friends and family have done this.  The brides all wore their dress again (which I've never heard one complaint but have heard a lot of people say they were glad she wore it so they could see it), there has always been a dinner and toasts, cakecuttings at them all, a few had dancing (but no spotlight dances).  DH and I were the beneficiaries of a second reception hosted by his father on the other side of the country who was unable to attend our wedding for health reasons.

I would keep in mind though that the expensive part of a wedding is the reception so you might wind up paying as much for the AHR as you do for the destination wedding itself.

LoveGuide

Congratulations on your upcoming Destination Wedding!!  I am sure it will be beautiful!  I am an event planner/wedding coordinator located in Illinois, and it is my belief that every bride and groom should be able to celebrate their wedding however they wish.  A reception when you return is fine, and it can also be done inexpensively.  Although it is true that the reception is the biggest expense of most weddings, there are tons of ways to save money. 

Send me an email at fromcoffeetococktails@yahoo.com and tell me what your budget is and what you would like to accomplish within that budget, and I will give you ideas on how to save money, and will also give you a realistic idea of how much it will cost per person, based on what you want at your reception.

Good luck in your endeavor to plan the perfect reception - please let me know if I can be of any help.  Have a great day!

Sherri
Owner/Event Coordinator
From Coffee To Coctails Event Planning

DecoratingforEvents

Over the years I have attended many wedding receptions at home after the bride and groom have had a destination wedding. Nothing in the world wrong with it. A wedding reception is the social event in which the bride and groom "receive" family and friends for the first time as a married couple. 

Destination weddings are wonderful for the couple and close family and friends. However, most people guard their vacation time and budget and would be much more inclined to join you for a celebration reception once you are home again. 

Yes, have all the tradition elements you want. Add to it, a vignette of photos or a video from the ceremony so the guests can share. On your invitation, simply advise guests the event is a cocktail party and start it past the normal dinner hour -- say 8PM. Dancing, a cake, wearing your wedding gown, etc... is your choice. You are still celebrating your marriage. 

My brother was married on a cliffside in St. Thomas with a small group of family and friends. When they got back from their honeymoon we hosted a reception for everyone. SIL wore her dress, DB wore his suit, everyone dressed up and had a wonderful time.  SIL's father was unable to make the trip to St. Thomas but got to dance with his daughter at the reception. Not a dry eye in the house. Go for it! 

pappish

This is what my FI and I will be doing. We will be getting married in a private ceremony, just us then a big reception 3 weeks later. I will be wearing my dress, we will have our first dance and possibly cut the cake. We felt since it isn't the traditional affair we can leave out certain traditions we feel are unnecessary or don't fit us. It has made planning more exciting and fun not to mention more of a reflection of our personality.